Movie Review: House on Haunted Hill (1959) directed by William Castle
In its hundred years of history, the house has been host to seven brutal murders. It is said that their ghosts still haunt the place, ready to add more victims to their number. Tonight, five strangers have been invited to the house on Haunted Hill for a party hosted by eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) and his fourth wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmert). Test pilot Lance Schroeder (Richard Long), skeptical psychiatrist Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal), gossip columnist with a gambling problem Julie Mitchum (Ruth Bridgers), pretty typist Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig) and Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook, Jr.), technical owner of the house, who became an alcoholic after the murder of his brother from whom he inherited the place. Each of them could desperately use the $10,000 offered to anyone who survives the night.
This is a short, low-budget film from William Castle, who was very good at making these sort of thrillers. There’s barely a wasted moment as the cast explores the inescapable house they’ve been locked in for the night. Early on, most of the spooky moments happen to Nora, who has the most sympathetic backstory. (She’s supporting her disabled parents.) She quickly becomes frustrated when the scary things she sees either aren’t seen by the others, or vanish by the time she gets someone to look.
Early on, we learn that Frederick and Annabelle are on bad terms; she was the one with the idea for a haunted house party, but he picked the guest list. Supposedly, none of the guests know each other or the Lorens, but then why were they hand-picked? Frederick’s previous three wives died under suspicious circumstances, and he recently had a bout of arsenic poisoning he’s pretty sure Annabelle arranged. Their venomous interplay is fascinating.
It doesn’t help that the party favors are loaded guns!
For most of the film, we’re left in suspense as to whether the house is truly haunted; yes, some of what’s going on is clearly rigged, but other bits say otherwise. And the housekeeper is way too creepy to be fully human, probably.
There’s much use of the gendered term “hysteria” (Dr. Trent is especially fond of it.) Thankfully, while Nora and Lance are clearly attracted to each other, the film doesn’t try to cram in a romance subplot.
While the acid bath introduced early on is plenty gruesome in theory, the movie is fairly tasteful when it comes to gory details.
Recommended to fans of classic horror films.
